While activists and diplomats gathered for the UN climate summit in Dubai two weeks ago, the prospects for a significant agreement appeared slim. With the return of war in the Middle East, the geopolitical landscape has become fragmented, and Western media expressed pessimism about the UAE hosting the conference, as it is one of the world's leading oil-producing countries, raising concerns that the climate event could devolve into a form of "international green climate propaganda" without real ecological achievements.
According to a report by *The Economist*, COP28 succeeded in challenging the pessimists. For the first time, the world agreed to move away from coal, oil, and natural gas, which are the main drivers of global warming. The 198 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change agreed on a text calling for a transition away from fossil fuels "in energy systems, in a fair, organized, and equitable manner."
The report noted that some may feel disappointment over the concessions made. Europeans had hoped for an agreement on a complete "phase-out" of fossil fuels, a proposition that fossil fuel producers refused to endorse.
**Positive Reactions**
The agreement states that coal energy will be phased out "relentlessly," which allows for the continued burning of the most polluting fuels as long as their emissions are captured at the source. This agreement marks an important and realistic step forward, according to the decision. The report described calls to phase out fossil fuels as economically unfeasible and politically naive, noting that fossil fuels are likely to remain part of the energy mix for decades to come. Even optimistic projections predict a significant role for oil and gas, balanced by technologies that remove greenhouse gas emissions, in scenarios for achieving net zero by 2050.
While clean energy has made significant strides, it is unlikely to fully replace fossil fuels by that time. Additionally, climate diplomacy has proven to be more effective than pessimists had expected. Conference chair Sultan Al Jaber was more focused on ensuring the success of climate negotiations rather than on economic interests. Among the key achievements was the early commitment from 50 oil companies to reduce their methane emissions, one of the potent greenhouse gases, indicating Al Jaber’s success, according to the report.
The agreement between the U.S. and China prior to the summit also laid a critical foundation. This means that the largest "environmentally polluting" geopolitical competitors cooperated to include fossil fuels in the discussions, which helped guide other oil-producing countries toward agreement.
Nevertheless, reaching a global agreement is only a small step. The larger and much harder challenge is translating the words on the page into real-world actions.
